Lawrence Weston family 'abandoned' by easyJet

A Bristol family say they were “abandoned” on holiday by budget airline easyJet – and left with a bill of nearly £900 to get home.

Nicola Starkie, her husband Robert and their two children, from Lawrence Weston, flew out to Gran Canaria for a family wedding.

But they were stranded after their flight home last Monday was cancelled and had to stay in a hotel.

They say the company told them it would only pay for two nights in a hotel while they waited to get home – but said the next available flight for them would not be for another five days.

After paying for a third night themselves the family eventually found a flight home with another airline last Thursday and say easyJet said it would not pay the bill.

But after the Bristol Evening Post contacted the airline it promised to reimburse the Starkies for any costs incurred by their delay in returning home and has apologised for the inconvenience caused.

Mrs Starkie, 31, a care assistant from Lawrence Weston, said their initial flight home had been cancelled because the pilot had worked over his permitted hours.

The family and four other relatives travelling with them were put up in a hotel for two nights – last Monday and Tuesday – by easyJet.

But Mrs Starkie says they were then told no more of their stay would be paid for, even though the new flight home easyJet was offering them was not until Saturday night. They also claimed they were told that they were not guaranteed a seat on this flight.

Mrs Starkie, who is five months pregnant and whose two daughters are aged three and six, said: “It was a very traumatic way to end the holiday. I spent two days crying.

“EasyJet just dumped us there and left us – it is absolutely diabolical. We felt abandoned.”

She said a letter provided by easyJet stating their rights had said the company would pay for any nights they had to spend in a hotel.

The family paid for their extra night's stay at the hotel on Wednesday, and then Mr Starkie's brother decided to pay extra for flights home on Thursday night.

The new flights home cost the group of eight nearly £900 in total.

The family arrived home in Lawrence Weston on Friday and wrote to easyJet requesting compensation.

When the Bristol Evening Post contacted easyJet yesterday to raise the Starkies' case, the company apologised.

A spokesperson said: “We have advised the passengers that they will receive a refund for the flights with an alternative carrier, the additional night's hotel accommodation and also EU passenger compensation for the amount of 400 Euros per person.

“The flight from Las Palmas to Gatwick was cancelled due to an administration error which meant the pilot's licence had expired and he could not operate the flight (which is the pilot's personal responsibility to keep updated), due to other issues with weather in the Gatwick area there was no standby cover and the flight was subsequently cancelled.”

The spokesperson told the Bristol Evening Post that “easyJet would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers.”